Chris' Journey
by Seashell
Summary: A story of a trainer called Chris who can a.talk to pokemon, b.make any pokemon she meets trust her and c.discover a way to make her pokemon stronger beyond imagination
1. Chris First Pokemon

Disclaimer: I own the plot, the characters, the settings, but not the idea  
  
Chapter 1- Chris' first pokemon  
  
Crystal woke up in her pink feathery bed cuddling her favourite toy, her growlithe doll. Staring around her room she realised that today was her tenth birthday. She would be getting her first pokemon.  
  
Her birthday presents came after her cake. Her mother smiled as she handed Crystal her pokegear which included her watch and a phone.  
  
Her dad gave her a new blue backpack which had a few revives, full restores, potions and a pokeball She thanked her dad and looked expectantly for a pokemon, but their were no more presents left on the table.  
  
"Mum?" She asked, "WHere's my pokemon?"  
  
Her mum smiled at her in a secretive manner, and looked sideways at her dad.  
  
"Well sweetie, we're going to take you to Prof. Willow's house. She has your..."  
  
Crystal's mum elbowed her husband sharply.  
  
"Oof!" he winced.  
  
"Come on Chris."  
  
So Crystal and her mum and dad walked over to Prof. Willow's house which was just next to their own.  
  
Prof. Willow was outside tending to her sunfloras and bellosoms in her front garden.  
  
"Oh hello Chris."  
  
"Hi Prof. Willow. Today's my tenth birthday!"  
  
"Yes. I know," she said glancing at Crystal's parents, "Come inside."  
  
Chris almost skipped inside Prof Willow's house. She had pictures of Bellosoms all around her living room. Almost everything was pink or green.  
  
"Ugh."  
  
Crystal's favourite colour was blue, and she couldn't imagine anyone liking anything but blue. Pink and green were just not her colours.  
  
"I have three choices for your first pokemon. Wait a sec- here it is."  
  
Prof. Willow bent over and took a tray from the oven and set it on the table. Crystal peered closer and she saw little cakes in the shape of pokeballs.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh no Chris, these are my cakes. I thought they were going to burn."  
  
Chris smiled and was relieved from the horrible thought that she was going to have a cake for her birthday, instead of a real pokeball.  
  
"The pokeballs are inside the lab. I'll just get them..."  
  
Walking briskly away on her shiny high heeled shoes, Prof. Willow walked into her secret lab.  
  
Pressing a button, a tray of three pokeballs appeared.  
  
She scooped all three up and carried them into the living room.  
  
"Here, I'll just let them out... Pokeball, go!"  
  
Nothing happened. Puzzled, she acalled again. Forcing open the pokeball, she exclaimed, "Its empty!"  
  
Crystal tried hard not to cry as Prof. Willow opened the other two and couldn't find any pokemon inside.  
  
"Oh that's right! How could I forget. Some other trainers already came by and took the pokemon."  
  
Crystal let out a sob.  
  
"No, no! That won't do. Come into the back and I'll show you my arcanine, Janine. I think you'll get a surprise."  
  
*flashback*  
  
Crystal and Janine are playing in the grass among the sunflora and bellossom. Crystal is giggling as she played hide and seek with Arcanine.  
  
*End of flashback*  
  
Crystal follow Prof. Willow to the back, trying not to scream in agony. Today was her birthday and she wouldn't even get a pokemon!  
  
Janine was in the backyard in a wicker basket filled with straw. Crystal stopped and stared at the backyard.  
  
Six growlithes were running about playing with each other. Crystal gasped and ran out to pick up the nearest growlithe, a girl. She growled and let out a wisp of smoke from her mouth (the growlithe, not Crystal).  
  
"Hey Chris! I wouldn't play with that growlithe if I was you. She's a bit temperamental."  
  
Chris laughed and ran after the growlithe. All the growlithes had spiky hair and stripes down their back and they were all adorable. Janine watched the growlithes and smiled secretively as she saw Crystal. She knew that one of her puppies would be leaving her today and that growlithe was going to make Crystal very happy.  
  
After a while Prof. Willow stopped Crystal. "That's enough playing with the growlithes. Which one do you like best?"  
  
Crystal sighed, "I like them all."  
  
"Well if you had to choose one..."  
  
"I guess I'd choose Punk."  
  
"Punk?" asked Prof. Willow  
  
"This one," said Crystal, and kneeling down she scooped up the little growlithe that had growled at her before. The growlithe growled again, and blew up a tiny flame that didn't reach Crystal. Barking happily, she nibbled on Crystal's finger.  
  
Janine sighed and padded over to where Chris was kneeling. Carefully she removed Punk from Crystal's grasp and padded back to her bed.  
  
"Janine," said Prof. Willow in a stern voice.  
  
"Woof."  
  
Finally, after a quick lick, Janine returned Punk to Chris.  
  
"I'm sorry Janine, I'll- I'll take care of Punk."  
  
"Growl." said Janine, meaning "You better."  
  
"Hey!" said Crystal, "Where's growlithe's pokeball?"  
  
"Uh, Chris? There's something you should know."  
  
"What Prof?"  
  
"Growlithe hates pokeballs. Oh and here, this is a pokedex. It'll be your identity card and also tell you what pokemon you have encountered."  
  
"Cool." 


	2. Learning to talk

Chris waved goodbye to her parents and set of on her pokemon journey. As she stepped into her first grassed area, she crossed her fingers and hoped to meet some new pokemon to catch. Then she realised that she had taken her first step out of Lily town and into Route 1.  
  
Suddenly a pikachu sprang up from nowhere with an apple.  
  
*Hello.*  
  
"What? Who was that?"  
  
*Twas me*  
  
Suddenly Crystal was wrenched out of it. "Pika Pika?"  
  
"Pika pi. Pika pika pika?"  
  
Putting her hand over mouth she realised that she was talking to Pikachu. In Pikachu.  
  
"Pika pika chu chu?" Which meant, How can I do this?  
  
"Chu chu. Pika pika chu. Pika pi." (Beats me. How should I know.)  
  
"Pika." (Oh well.)  
  
"Pika pika pi chu?" said the pikachu (Could I battle you?)  
  
"Pika pika chu chu pi!" (If I can catch you)  
  
"Pika!" (you're on!)  
  
Punk had been standing by Chris all this time all this time, and when Chris had said "Pika!" she had leapt forward growling.  
  
"Woof! Rowroworow Arooo!" (Pikachu! Your no match for Punk!)  
  
"Pika pika pi!" (Stop boasting a get on with the match!)  
  
Throwing away the apple, Pikachu went into his battling pose.  
  
"Punk! Use Growl! Hey, I'm talking normally again."  
  
Growlithe stepped forward and growled. Pikachu froze and started backing away.  
  
"Okay Punk, now use bite!"  
  
Punk bit down on Pikachu's tail and Pikachu started running round in circles with growlithe on his tail.  
  
"Pika pi!"  
  
Chris wanted to finish the battle quickly before growlithe got hurt, so she cried, "Okay- finish Pikachu off with Tackle!"  
  
Punk let go of Pikachu's tail and Pikachu fell to the ground and looked left and right. Punk ran straight at Pikachu and he went sailing through the air and landed on the grassy floor.  
  
"Good Punk, now let me finish the match by throwing this pokeball at pikachu."  
  
"Woof." (Get on with it.)  
  
"Pokeball, go!"  
  
Chris threw the pokeball at Pikachu. He disappeared in a flash of light and the pokeball rocked once, twice, then stopped rocking.  
  
"Yeah! I caught Pikachu!"  
  
Chris picked up the pokeball and stood there with it above her head.  
  
"I'll call you Alec. Y'know, short for Electrocute? Get it?"   
  
"Woof. Grrrr." Muttered Punk (Bah! Trainers) 


	3. Taylor and Max

Crystal let Pikachu out of his ball and talked to him and growlithe as she walked along.   
  
"Pika pika." (nice day)  
  
"Pika pi." (I agree)  
  
"Woof!" (Talking to that infernal Pikachu!)  
  
"Grrr Woof Growl." (Your still my favourite)  
  
"Pika pi!" (Where's my apple?)  
  
"Pika." (Here.)  
  
Chris took a apple from her backpack and tossed it to pikachu.  
  
Suddenly two boys popped out from behind a bush. One had a gold pokeball on his cap, the other a silver pokeball. They both had the same black hair and brown eyes, and they both had identical backpacks.  
  
"We're the Poke Twins! We challenge you to a pokemon battle."  
  
"Uh, Aren't poketwins when two pokemon are born at the same time?"  
  
"Um, uh..."  
  
"Well you aren't exactly a pokemon scientist. How would you know?"  
  
Suddenly Chris recognised the boys. "Hey! You're Taylor and Max, my neighbours."  
  
"Yeah. The one with the silver pokeball on his cap is Max. I'm Taylor."  
  
"Uh huh. Anyway, what was that about a pokemon match?"  
  
"Pika pika! Pika chu pika pi!" (My apple! I haven't finished my apple!)  
  
"Pika pika. Pika pi." (Give me the apple. You can finish it later.)  
  
Taylor and Max stared at Chris, then looked at each other. "Crazy." THey both mouthed.  
  
"Okay then, gooooooo Horsea!" cried Max.  
  
Whipping out her pokedex, she opened it.  
  
"About time too. I'm Dexa, your pokedex. It took you long enough to open me. Too busy talking to pikachu aren't you? Well I'm proud to be serving a girl fluent in poke language, even if they ignore me. Humph. IGNORING ME ALL THIS TIME! You don't get to be a pokemon master that way young lady."  
  
"Um, Dexa? Can you tell me about Horsea?"  
  
"Horsea. The Dragon Pokemon. If attacked by a larger enemy it quickly swims to safety by adeptly controlling its dorsal fin."  
  
"Got it. Okay, go Alec!"  
  
Pikachu stepped in front of Horsea and went into his battling pose.  
  
"Woof." (Show off)  
  
"Alec! Use Thundershock!"  
  
"Horsea! Use Agility!"  
  
But Alec didn't get confused because Thundershock rarely missed anyway.  
  
"Horsea!"  
  
Pikachu had hit horsea and Horsea was struggling to stand up.  
  
"Horsea! Come back!" But horsea shook his head and managed to get up.  
  
Horsea leered at Chris and Chris froze.  
  
"Pika pi! Pika pika chu chu! Chu chu chu!" (Alec! Don't be afraid! It's just a horsea!)  
  
"Pikaaaaaa." (I'll try)  
  
"Thundershock! Now!"  
  
Pikachu Thundershocked Horsea and frantically Max called Horsea back.  
  
"Okay, that was a warm up. Gooooo Larvitar!"  
  
Chris took out Dexa again.  
  
"Larvitar. The Rock Skin Pokemon. It feeds on soil. After it has eaten a large mountain it will fall asleep so it can grow."  
  
"Thanks Dexa. Okay, Alec return. Go Punk!."  
  
"Arroooooo!" (about time!)  
  
Growlithe stepped forward and let out a flame from her mouth.  
  
"Punk! You learned Ember!"  
  
"Growrrrrrr." (I can take this thing down without it.)  
BRBR  
"You can't use Ember against a Rock pokemon Chris," said Taylor laughing at Growlithe flaming all the grass up.  
  
"Oh no growlithe! You set the grass on fire."  
  
Taylor looked grim, "We'll finish this match later. Right now we need to get the fire brigade.  
  
"No wait! Get Horsea to use water gun."  
  
"I can't!" wailed Max, "Horsea only knows bubble."  
  
"Uh... Got any other pokemon?"  
  
"Yeah. I got Clefairy." said Taylor.  
  
"Big help that is- wait, get Clefairy to use metronome. It might use a water attack."  
  
"Clefairy! Clefairy!" (What should I do?)  
  
"Use metronome!" cried Taylor.  
  
*note: Taylor doesn't understand Clefairy, he just happened to answer the question by chance.  
  
"Clefairy!" (As you wish)  
  
Tinkly music filled the air. Suddenly a wind started up and soon Clefairy, Punk, Taylor, Max and Chris were all flying around in the whirlwind.  
  
"I think Clefairy used Gust!" cried Chris  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" they all screamed.  
  
When the wind finally settled down Chris, Max and Taylor found themselves in Black Town. Everything was pitch black, and Chris could swear that she saw a Ghastly float past. 


	4. Black Town

Stumbling along the streets totally lost, Chris bumped into something on the ground. It was round, and when she picked it up she realised that it was a hm.  
  
"Wow," she said.  
  
"What is it?" asked Max.  
  
"It's the hm, Flash."  
  
"Cool."  
  
"Totally."  
  
"May I help you?"  
  
"AAh!" they shouted and backed away. In the darkness they realised that it was a hunched old man with a twisted smile on his face.  
  
"I'm Prag, a pokemon trainer in Dark Town. Who may I ask, are you?"  
  
"I a-am m-m-max. Th-this is m-my brother t-taylor."  
  
"And you are you?" said the old man as he leered up at Chris.  
  
Note: He's alot shorter than Chris.  
  
"I'm Chris, a pokemon trainer from Lily Town. Do you want a battle?"  
  
"Maybe later. Do you want to know the way to the pokemon centre? I'll take you there."  
  
Though Chris didn't look at all disturbed, she was really afraid of the Prag. He glanced furtively around him all the time and crept silently through the streets.  
  
When they reached the pokemon centre they were relieved to find a light switched on inside. A glowing sign was fixed at the front saying pokemon centre. They headed in with Punk quivering and occasionally growling at Prag. He didn't trust the old man either.  
  
Nurse Joy had dark hair that swept down to her shoulders, and dark eyes that when they looked into yours, you felt like running away. Far, far away.  
  
"Hello. How may I help you?"  
  
She had the same voice of the Nurses of the other cities, and she looked the same, apart from her hair and eyes, and she made you shiver.  
  
Chris, Max and Taylor followed Nurse Joy into tanother room of the pokemon centre.  
  
"We have perhaps the biggest pokemon centre ever to be built in the known pokemon world. Not in Kanto, Johto or Rieto has there ever been conceived the idea to build a pokemon centre so big and large that every pokemon that comes here will be healed according to their type. No more queues, or waits. Each room of the pokecentre is designed to treat a different type of pokemon. We also have gyms with training equipment and a hotel on the 12th floor."  
  
"How many floors do you have altogether?" asked Max  
  
"Well, we have many renovations every month, but currently there are 36 floors."  
  
"How come we didn't see the size of this place when we came to the pokemon centre?"  
  
"It must have been the dark. Only the bottom floor has windows, so that pokemon trainers like yourself can see where the pokemon centre is located.  
  
"Uh huh. Can I have a look at the gym?" asked Chris.  
  
"Sure. Come this way."  
  
When they got there, Chris was disappointed. She had been hoping for a real gym, where she could verse the gym leader, but there was only pools, exercise equipment etc etc.  
  
After an hour of exercising for her pokemon and herself, Chris asked if she could have a battle with Prag.  
  
"Sure. Where will we have it?"  
  
"There's a trainer hall on the next floor. Proceed when ready."  
  
"Prag? I'll just heal my pokemon then i'll meet you there. You aren't a really tough trainer are you? I mean, I just started."  
  
"I'm a newbie too. Don't worry."  
  
Chris gave Nurse Joy her pokemon to heal while she waited for the Nurse's return.  
  
"Hey Chris! We're going up to battle our pokemon okay?" called Taylor  
  
"Yeah okay. Meet ya there."  
  
Nurse Joy returned with ash all over her.  
  
"Your growlithe is a bit high strung I think. She flamed me when I tried to heal her."  
  
"Where's Prag?"  
  
"He's gone off for a while. You can have dinner while your waiting."  
  
Chris' stomach growled loudly.  
  
"Lead me to it."  
  
Nurse Joy got into the elevator and waited for Chris to catch up.  
  
WHen they got to the restaurant Chris sat down next to her growlithe. A Waitress came up and smiled down at Chris.  
  
"Hello, may I take your order Miss?"  
  
"Yeah okay. Could I have a burrito with hot sauce and extra chillis on the side some-"  
  
"Growl woof woof! Woof growl woof woof growl!" (I'll have a mexican burger! With the hottest sauce you have!)  
  
"She said that she'll have a mexican burger with the hottest sauce you have."  
  
Looking at Chris strangely she headed to get their orders, Chris stood up and took her phone from her pokegear and dialed Prof. Willow.  
  
"Hello there!" came the cheerful voice of Prof. Willow, "How can I help you?"  
  
"Prof. Willow? This may seem weird but I can talk to pokemon in their own language. And I can understand them!"  
  
"What? Chris this is a great discovery! How did you come by this power?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but I caught a Pikachu called Alec. Here he is."  
  
SHe called out Alec and Alec popped up and said a quick Pika pika to Prof. Willow then went back into his ball to sleep.  
  
"Pikachu said Hi."  
  
"I heard. WHat were Pikachu's exact words?"  
  
"Pika pika."  
  
"No I mean in english."  
  
"Oh, um, let me think, it was Hi Professor!"  
  
"Amazing. You know that I have discovered that if a pokemon trusts you enough you can understand it? I have explored this theory for ages, but this seems to prove it."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Well I think that all pokemon that you encounter give you their trust without question. Janine my arcanine never trusts any humans, but from the minute you walked in the door Janine became very friendly. It has something to do with friend balls. They make a pokemon friendly aand trust you completely. You have an opposite effect, pokemon trust and rely on you from the moment they set eyes on you."  
  
"Uh, Prof Willow? I swallowed a friend ball when I was small. Would that have anything to do with it?"  
  
"Hmmm, interesting, interesting, well. I guess I better get going. Bye!" *Click*  
  
"Well that was abrupt," thought Chris.  
  
She sat down with Punk and ate her dinner. Punk wolfed down the mexican burger ran around the dinner table with her mouth on fire.  
  
"Well I'm ready to turn in for the night," Chris said as she stood up to go.   
  
Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she whirled around.  
  
"Prag! You startled me for a second."  
  
"Well I'm sorry. I do believe we had a battle planned-"  
  
"Yes, yes whatever."  
  
They got into the elevator again and they started moving downwards. The stink in the elevator was unbearable. Chris could very well believe that Prag never took any baths at all. 


	5. A Battle with Prag

The trainer hall was packed with trainers trying to find an opponent. Prag lead the way to a room where it was completely white and spacious.  
  
"You ready?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then let's go."  
  
"Punk, I choose you!"  
  
Growlithe stepped out her tail bristling and teeth bared.  
  
"Pika pi." muttered Alec in his pokeball. (now who's the show off.)  
  
Prag seemed unfazed by growlithe's show of bravo and took out his pokeball.  
  
"Go! Ghastly!"  
  
Already knowing what a Ghastly was Chris didn't bother taking out Dexa from her pocket even when she beeped and vibrated angrily.  
  
"Okay Growlithe, use agility!"  
  
Growlithe started zipping all around the room while Ghastly looked all around him trying to figure out where growlithe had got to.  
  
"Ghastly!" yelled Prag, "Use Mean Look!"  
  
"Growlithe! Shut your eyes and use your nose! Smell Ghastly! Now use Ember!"  
  
Doing exactly what Chris had commanded, Growlithe shut his eyes and smelt where Ghastly was, (this was an enormous task because Prag's stink almost filled the arena), and used a move that Chris didn't know it had.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"It's Flame Wheel girl. Growlithe knows a new attack!"  
  
"Go Growlithe!" Chris cried.  
  
Punk's flame was abnormally powerful on the account of that mexican burger she had eaten for lunch.  
  
Ghastly fainted so Prag recalled him.  
  
"Okay then if you think you're so smart, go Murkrow!"  
  
"Growlithe return!"  
  
Growlithe trotted to Chris breathing heavily.  
  
"Go Pikachu!"  
  
Pikachu jumped in front of Murkrow and started punching the air.  
  
"Pika pi chu pika chu pi!" (Come and get me if you want me!)  
  
"Murk Murk Krow. Krow Murk." (I will puny mouse. I will.)  
  
"Enough talk. Murkrow, wing attack!"  
  
"Pikachu dodge it!"  
  
"Murkrow use faint attack."  
  
Murkrow faded out of sight.  
  
"We're not falling for that. Pikachu! Agility!"  
  
Murkrow couldn't catch Pikachu as he zipped around the floor.  
  
"Finish Murkrow off now! Thundershock!"  
  
Pikachu gave out a powerful electric attack and Murkrow fainted on the floor.  
  
"Have any more pokemon kid?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Only two? THat won't be enough to take on the gym leader. Here- take this pokeball."  
  
"I can't possibly-"  
  
"You have the gift girl. Your going to be a champ. Now take the pokemon!"  
  
Chris reached out and took the pokemon that he was holding.  
  
"It wasn't even a Dark Type- dunno why I caught it. Take good care of that one kid."  
  
Chris was itching to see what pokemon she had won, but manners came first.  
  
"Th-thanks!"  
  
"Always willin."  
  
Manners out of the way, Chris took the pokeball and threw it.  
  
"Go pokeball!"  
  
The pokeball fell on the floor and out popped a Bulbasaur.  
  
"Bulbasaur!"  
  
"Oh your so cute! I think I'll call you..."  
  
"Bulba Bulba saur!" (My name is Ivy!)  
  
"Okay then, your name is Ivy!"  
  
"Bulba saur saur bulba saur." (Duh I already said that.)  
  
How did Prag know that Chris had "THe gift"? What is the gift? Find out when I write the next chapter. 


	6. Black Town's story

Chris met up with Max and Taylor after her match on the first floor.  
  
"Hey are you guys going to battle the gym leader here or not?"  
  
"Chris, it's twelve at night! Shouldn't we kind of, sleep?" said Taylor.  
  
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that."  
  
"Don't worry, we booked us a room at the pokecentre hotel. We each get our own room and bed and spa!!!"  
  
"No, serious?"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"Wow."  
  
"TOtally wow." agreed Max.  
  
"Lets go now."  
  
The elevator took them up to the twelth floor where they relaxed on a couch till another Nurse Joy (This time with black hair violet eyes) came to show them to their room.  
  
Crystal's room was awash with colour, it was as if a rainbow was captured in the room. But too tired to appreciate all this, Chris muttered briefly, "Think how much this is gonna cost." before falling asleep on her bed.  
  
In the morning Chris ventured out to have breakfast before finding Max and Taylor who were chatting on the porch of their rooms.  
  
"Let's go find the gym leader then."  
  
"Cool. When are we going?"  
  
"Now."  
  
"Hey chill Chris. We have a whole morning in front of us relaxing on couchs, working out in the gym, and you want to find some crummy gym leader?"  
  
"Have you noticed how dark everything is?"  
  
Taylor paused and peered out at the darkness.  
  
"Yeah, but that's why its called Black City, nah."  
  
"But Nurse Joy tells me it wasn't always like this."  
  
Now they were listening.  
  
"Go on." said Max.  
  
"Well," Chris began, "It all started when Nurse Joy was little. She was playing with her toys when suddenly everything went dark. Going out to investigate, she saw Benjamin, the gym leader at that time, running around with his pokemon searching everywhere. THey even got the police's houndooms on the case. The gym leader kept fire pokemon. Lovely ones that all knew flash. That was what kept the city light. It was known as Black Town then only as a joke, but something went wrong. Terribly wrong. Someone stole the hm, Flash. And Benjamin didn't even get to teach his pokemon the move, only his dad's pokemon, Rapidash knew it. Rapidash had died just then and along with it any light. Black town now has no light at all."  
  
"But you found the hm Chris!"  
  
"Yeah but I dunno how to use it and- I think there's more to the story than just the fact that flash went missing."  
  
"What could that be?"  
  
"Well I've been noticing all the pokemon in this city are dark types. Dark types hate the light. If I bring back light into the city than it will force millions of pokemon into hiding. This is the biggest city in Rieto. A breeding ground for millions of dark pokemon. I think we should leave it like it is."  
  
"Then we also leave the people in total darkness?"  
  
"THat's basically the idea."  
  
"That would be too horrible. No light at all?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"But the dark pokemon need the dark. They can't stand the light any more than we can stand broccoli!"  
  
"She's got a point there."  
  
"Definitely."  
  
"So what do we do?"  
  
"We totally do nothing!"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
Crystal sighed. The twins were no help.  
  
"Hey come out with me and take a look at all the dark pokemon in the streets. Imagine destroying their home."  
  
Max was imagining the city coming back into the light. He wouild be a superstar! Surrounded by girls fanning him and feeding him grapes...  
  
"Max?" asked Taylor.  
  
"I think we should drag him along."  
  
"Good idea."  
  
Taylor grabbed Max by the ear.  
  
"Hey! What's the big idea?" 


	7. Dark Forest

They borrowed torches from Nurse Joy and bought some jackets from the souvenir shop and a map around Dark Forest.  
  
"And remember kids. Don't use your torch on any dark pokemon or they might attack," finished Nurse Joy.  
  
"Or they might even hurt themselves." said Chris firmly.  
  
"WHat a tragedy that would be," whispered Max to Taylor.  
  
Heading down the road they set off to Dark Forest. CHris kept on talking about how much fun they would have, and that they might even catch a dark pokemon. Max and Taylor had other things on their mind though...  
  
Rumours they had heard from the other trainers in the lounge made them cringe. Rumours about strange mutant pokemon and crazed old men in the forest that do experiments on human and pokemon.  
  
Shaking all this off they bravely continued just a few steps behind Crystal, not wishing to go any faster than necessary.  
  
"THink what we could find." sighed Crystal.  
  
"I heard Mr Pokemon's cousin lived in Dark Forest. He keeps rare pokemon that he sometimes gives away for free."  
  
"Oh joy," grimaced Taylor, "I'll bet."  
  
Max was walking along peering at the shadows occasionally. He didn't even notice when they arrived.  
  
Ever had a feeling that when you dread something then it comes to pass faster? And the horrible feeling of impending doom?  
  
Taylor and Max had that feeling right now as they entered the gates of Dark Forest.  
  
As they tiptoed through the gate, (they had no idea why they were tiptoeing), a umbreon cried loudly into the darkness.  
  
"Um-Bre-OOOOOONNNNN!!!"  
  
Chris stopped and looked very sad.  
  
Hoping that she had given up on the venture Taylor and Max asked her what was wrong.  
  
"Umbreon has lost her cub. She can't find him anywhere. Umbreon was asking us to look for Umbreon for her."  
  
"Well." said Taylor and Max together.  
  
"Come on, let's go." Chris started walking again.  
  
A hoothoot called out.  
  
"HOOT! HOOT!"  
  
"CHris stopped again. THis time she looked surprised. "Hoothoot has lost her hatchling. Apparently all the baby pokemon have disappeared."  
  
Taylor shivered, "We better get out of here in cse we disappear too."  
  
But Crystal was now even more determined to go into Dark Forest.  
  
"Oh well Tay. Looks like we don't have a choice," muttered Max, "She's got the map."  
  
Deeper and deeper they went, Chris pausing every now and then to consult the way.  
  
"DId you know that Dark Forest has a shrine just like the famous Ilex FOrest Shrine?" said Chris suddenly  
  
"No."  
  
"It's rumoured that a pokemon guards this pokemon from harm. It's supposedly, a dark/grass pokemon."  
  
"Well that would make sense."  
  
"Then why hasn't the Guardian stopped all the pokemon from being kidnapped?"  
  
"Beats me."  
  
"Do you know where the shrine is?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Right in front of us."  
  
What had appeared to be a tree was actually a carving of a strange tree pokemon that was completely black. It had two eyes that were actually two holes whittled into the wood with lanterns placed inside.  
  
SOrry this is rather short. I'll try writing more later. 


	8. The Pokemon Guardian

"What pokemon could it be?" wondered Chris  
  
"Yeah." agreed Taylor and Max.  
  
THey set off in the forest once more, till they came to a quaint little house with a tiled roof and smoke coming out of a chimney.  
  
Chris stood on the front step and knocked on the door. For a minute no one answered, and Chris was about to walk away again when the door opened and standing there smoking a pipe was Prag.  
  
"CHris! Taylor! Max! Do come in. I have the kettle on the boil and magikarp for supper."  
  
"You eat magikarp?" Taylor gulped  
  
"Yeah. THat's what they sell all around the world. Except they describe it as 'fish'. Everything is actually pokemon meat, you just haven't noticed it."  
  
"We eat pokemon?" said Crystal looking faint.  
  
"Hey it's no big deal. Unless you want the world to be vegetarians."  
  
"Anyway stop standing there in the cold. COme on in."  
  
THey walked into Prag's house, and were not too surprised that the house had Prag's odour clearly in it.  
  
"Tea or coffee?" Prag said.  
  
Practically gagging, Chris shook her head, and Taylor and Max opened their mouths long enough to say, "Nothankswejusthadteabackatthehotel!" before shutting their mouths again.  
  
"Suit yourself."  
  
Chris was smiling politely trying to hold her nose.  
  
"Do yug know oo or wat ook de baby pogemon?" she said while pinching her nose shut while Prag's back was turned.  
  
"THey say that it is the mystical pokemon that haunts this forest which has taken the baby pokemon to train up an army of pokemon to fight against the trainers at Black Town."  
  
"Do you know the way there then?"  
  
"No, but I could show you the way to the pokemon's secret hideout."  
  
"Surelet'sgothen!" said Taylor.  
  
"I'll give you a map..."  
  
"We alreaby ave a bap thank oo"  
  
"Let's see it then."  
  
Prag marked the secret hideout on the map then ushered Chris, Taylor and Max out the door.  
  
Smiling politely they headed out the door and took a deep breath of the fresh (fresh but damp) air.  
  
Max started coughing.  
  
Prag waved goodbye as they headed off into the night (or maybe day, they couldn't tell).  
  
They walked on for ages, Chris stopping every now and then to look at the map.  
  
Finally she stopped and looked at the map.  
  
"Well, at least we're sure of one thing."  
  
"What's that?" asked Taylor.  
  
"We're lost."  
  
"GIve me that!" said Max, and he grabbed the map off Chris.  
  
He led them away through the forest, Chris occasionally stopping to point out some rare pokemon.  
  
After a while he stopped as while.  
  
"We're here."  
  
They had stopped in front of a mass of vines stretching away in front of them.  
  
"How are we going to get through that?" asked Taylor.  
  
Chris was already ahead of him. "Go! Bulbasaur!"  
  
Bulbasaur came out of his pokeball.  
  
"Bulbasaur!"  
  
"Okay bulbasaur, use razor leaf!"  
  
Bulbasaur's razor leaf quickly cut through the mass of leaves and vines that blocked their path.  
  
What they saw thorugh the vines was astonishing.  
  
A ring of some sort of stones surrounded a tree that had dark, shadowy berries growing on it.  
  
As they came closer they saw some pokemon around the tree in the shadows.  
  
Chris picked up Growlithe in her arms, worried that something might happen to Punk if she wasn't careful.  
  
"Hey you!" yelled Max.  
  
Taylor and Chris spun around and glared at Max.  
  
"We came all the way here to see a TREE! I can't believe it. A stupid tree with weird berries on it. So what?"  
  
The tree moved. It shook off the berries from its branches which in turn fell in a neat circle around it, and turned around and looked at Max. He gulped and started backing away. It looked like this was the pokemon that the statue as built to honour.  
  
*Who dares disturb the dark sudowoodo of Dark Forest.*  
  
"Dark Sudowoodo? But aren't Sudowoodos rock pokemon?" asked Taylor.  
  
*The berries from my branches turn any pokemon into dark pokemon. They are called Conversion Berries. I am readying my dark pidgey's at this very moment to go and distribute the berries to all the four corners of Rieto.*  
  
"But why would you want to turn all pokemon into dark types?" Chris was bewildered. She didn't know much about Sudowoodo, much less about a Dark Sudowoodo with psychic abilities.  
  
*That is for me to know and you to remain in the dark.*  
  
"What importance have you got in Black Town anyway? We can get a whole lot of humans to destroy you!"  
  
*What humans may I ask?*  
  
"The gym leader for a start."  
  
*But I am the gym leader of Black Town.*  
  
"Then I challenge you to a battle! If I win, you give ME the badge and you stop trying to make all pokemon turn into dark types. If I lose then we won't try to stop you and we will be the first to give our pokemon the Conversion berries."  
  
Max and Taylor gasped. Their pokemon were now at stake as well as Crystal's. 


End file.
